What the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance is
The Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance (方広寺勅使玄関), at Hokoji in the Okuyama district of Inasa-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, was built in 1915 and entered the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2019. It is attached to the southern end of the west wall of the Main Hall and served as the entrance for honoured guests.
The building is single-storey timber roofed with round-and-flat tiles, covering 26 square metres. One bay wide and two bays deep, it carries a forward-facing curved gable, with earthen walls running off to either side that are included in the registration. Repairs were carried out in 2010.
A gable turned to the front
In this form the gable end of the roof is turned toward the approach and bowed into a curve. Where a curved eave gable is added onto an existing eave, here the roof itself sweeps round and faces front.
Why the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance was registered
The criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the country, and the number is 22-260, the second lowest at Hokoji after the Main Hall at 22-259.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs record says it lends dignity to the front of the Main Hall. An entrance of 26 square metres is doing the work of presenting a building of 735 square metres.
The detailing is of high quality. Panelled doors close the front, the floor is laid with square tiles set diagonally, and the gable carries a beam with a bottle-shaped strut. A frog-leg strut above the beam bears a chrysanthemum crest, an imperial motif that states in built form what kind of guest this entrance was made for.
The ceiling is handled unusually. No boards are fitted; instead the curved rafters and their lathwork are left exposed, so the timbers that shape the bowed roof are on view from below.
What to look for at the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance
Take the curve of the roof first, head on. It lifts at the centre and falls away at both ends, and because the covering is heavy round-and-flat tile, each course has to be laid to that curve. It is far more work than tiling a flat plane.
Then step under the eaves and look up. With the rafters exposed, the curve of the gable can be read as structure rather than as outline, and what you saw from outside matches what bends above you.
Find the frog-leg strut above the beam. It splays its two legs to spread the load coming down from above, and here it is carved at the centre with the chrysanthemum crest. Taken together with the earthen walls reaching out on both sides, the amount of labour spent on a single entrance becomes clear.
Visiting the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance
This was the entrance for honoured guests and is not the way ordinary visitors go in. No interior access is published, so viewing is from the outside.
Walk round to the west side of the Main Hall and the front comes into view. To photograph the curve, stand back a little and keep close to the height of the eaves. Seen from directly alongside, the curve flattens out and disappears.
Photography is unrestricted. Directions and admission are covered on the Hokoji Temple page.
Q&A
- What kind of building is the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance?
- An entrance for honoured guests, attached to the southern end of the west wall of the Main Hall. One bay wide and two deep, it has a forward-facing curved gable and earthen walls to either side.
- What is a forward-facing curved gable?
- A roof whose gable end is turned toward the approach and bowed into a curve. Unlike a curved eave gable added to an existing eave, the roof itself sweeps round to face the front.
- What should visitors look at in the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance?
- The curve of the tiled roof, the exposed curved rafters left visible instead of a boarded ceiling, and the chrysanthemum crest carved on the frog-leg strut above the beam.
- Can visitors enter through the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance?
- No. It served honoured guests and is not a public entrance, and no interior access is published, so viewing is from outside.
- What cultural property status does the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance hold?
- It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2019, registration number 22-260, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Basic Information
| Name | Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance |
|---|---|
| Location | 1577-1 Okuyama, Inasa-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 22-260 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 10 September 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, floor area 26 square metres, with earthen walls |
| Owner | Hokoji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Not a public entrance; exterior viewing and photography permitted |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Entrance
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012910
- Daihonzan Hokoji: Grounds guide
- https://www.houkouji.or.jp/guide/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
